Smile! How your digital camera can save your vacation

Pretty much everyone owns a digital camera now. Even your grandma, although she may not understand how to work it. But most of us are still using them exactly the way we used those old Kodak cameras: for souvenirs. They're best for that, of course, but there are other money-saving and life-saving tricks you can use them for.

1. When you accept a rental car
Take pictures of your new car from every angle before you drive it off the lot. In addition to the prior paper damage report you sign when you check out the vehicle, those images can serve as proof of its condition should your rental company try to pull a fast one and charge you for damage that wasn't there, or to claim you came back with a dent that was worse than what you left with. Make sure you get the license plate in there.